When a 10 y/o can't play Minecraft
Here's what 6 years of trial, bugs, and breakthroughs taught me.
I’m not a tech prodigy.
I just wanted to play Minecraft.
I came up with a workaround: I’d make my own games instead.
This is my 7+ years old journey with coding, marked by bugs, quits, breakthroughs, and (ultimately) real impact and knowledge.
Cheat code unlocked: my first game
I was about 10 years old.
Everyone around me was talking about Minecraft and Clash Royale. I had no idea what they were: I wasn’t allowed to play them. But then, I came up with an idea:
If I can make my own video games, I surely can play those instead!
I got a book about Scratch, a basic game engine, made to teach kids to code. I started to read it, and with my father’s help, I put together my first basic, Flappy Bird-style game.
However, things got difficult over time. I couldn’t understand concepts, and I couldn’t progress. I quit Scratch, and later was allowed to play video games.
When COVID hit, I returned. I found a great YouTuber called Griffpatch, who was teaching Scratch. He was a true game-changer. I learned to use more advanced concepts and logic in Scratch. I didn’t speak English well, yet still understood it all.
The tutorial addiction
After some time, I got bored.
But this time, I didn’t quit coding, just switched it up: I started learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It was real coding. I went through hour-long crash courses to learn the basics, then followed YouTube tutorials to make my first simple sites and programs.
And a big problem arose: I couldn’t make anything on my own. I felt stuck. It felt like I was only pretending I knew programming.
I knew multiple languages and still couldn’t put together a real sentence.
Back to blocks
I went back to my roots, Scratch, for the third time. But this time, things were different.
Somehow, I was able to build my own projects in Scratch. I built complex systems, worked on a custom multiplayer engine, and basic clones of popular games.
Here are the top 3 peak projects I built:
Tile Game: a 2D version of Minecraft, with frequent updates (not available).
Tic-Tac-Toe: a challenge I set myself, got attention from a big Scratcher, and inspired others to try the same.
Perlin Noise: a custom-built perlin noise generator in Scratch. It was a true innovation, which I used for the Tile Game’s cave generation.
I was finally doing innovative, creative work, not just copying from online tutorials. I know it’s just Scratch, but I was pushing the limits (and my limits) here.
Turned out, I didn’t need to learn a new language. I just needed a new perspective.
Learning more complex languages gave me the new perspective I needed, and I was finally able to do things myself in Scratch.
Chasing a big dream
After I got seriously good at Scratch, I decided to set another challenge: learn Java, a real programming language, purely for game development. My goal was to build a new, more complex version of the Tile Game I made in Scratch.
I finally learned something with a purpose behind it.
I didn’t want to make Minecraft 2. I just wanted to build a small game that a few people loved, what early Minecraft used to be. I missed the early days of the game, and I wanted to experience it myself. I wasn’t dreaming about success, just something I could feel being a part of.
Sadly, I didn’t reach the level of Java knowledge to start this project, despite Java being the language I know the best to this day.
From games to tools
I took a short break from coding and returned with a big purpose in mind. Part of that purpose was starting a tech business: building tools that stand out. This is what I’m working on right now.
I realized coding isn’t just my hobby anymore. It’s a vehicle for my mission.
Now, I’m learning to use modern tools, like React, to build innovative apps that help many people transform their lives. And just as with businesses, the rest is history.
Games taught me how to code. And the real world taught me why I should.
What 7+ years taught me
This journey was longer and probably more successful than the one with businesses. It taught me just as much, if not more. Here is a lesson I’d like to share with you that I learned on this long journey:
The best way to grow and progress is to chase something you truly care about.
Obsession matters. A lot. This is also why you shouldn’t make decisions purely based on rationality (something I also learned from The Psychology of Money). You can’t stick to something if it’s just optimal. You must have a deeper connection to it.
I stuck with coding because I loved it — even went it frustrated me.
I stuck with the gym not just for the gains, but because I got addicted to the grind.
I stuck with business because I wanted to create something real, not just get rich.
Obsession isn’t irrational. It’s the only way to survive in the long term.
See you next time
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
I hope you were able to learn something useful, and also enjoyed reading this long story.
I’ll be back from the camp in a few days, and I’ll start posting progression logs again.
First, I’ll have a recap post about what happened between my holiday and the camp, because, surprisingly, I progressed a bunch, and also some important things happened that are worth mentioning.
This journey started with banned video games. It might end up with tools that change people’s lives.